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OK, let’s talk about Windows Vista vs. Mac OS X.

Nope, this isn’t another “Microsoft vs. Apple” debate. I’m a guy who has used Windows PCs his whole life, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I’d like to talk about my experience coming into the Mac OS world, primarily from a Windows user’s perspective.

A little back story: I work as Interactive Producer for a content marketing agency in Minneapolis. Part of my job is to oversee our Interactive Designer, who, surprise, uses a Mac 99% of the time. As part of my training, I was given a Macbook Pro laptop so that I could learn Flash and the rest of the Adobe CS3 suite in a Mac environment. It’s an Intel-based Mac, with a Core 2 Duo running at 2.2 GHz with 4GB of RAM and some flavor of an Nvidia GeForce card. I’m talking about Mac OS 10.4 by the way, as we haven’t rolled out Leopard yet.

Superficially, the first thing I noticed is how dang sexy–and pleasingly minimalistic–the thing is. Clean lines, brushed metal finish and an Apple logo that glows white when you turn it on. Open it up, same story. Modern. Aesthetically pleasing. The old school Mac sound when you first turn it on. The keyboard has precisely the right tactile feel to it, with just a slight tick tick sound instead of that clunky tapping sound common on cheesy keyboards. The single-click button by the Touchpad feels nice too, although I’m not sure how to explain it. It just feels right; that’s all I can say.

At first, the interface felt clunky. Not because it’s clunky, of course, but because I have been trained in Windows for 10+ years. Where’s the Start menu? How do I switch between apps? What are all of the keyboard shortcuts? Where’s “My Computer”, for heaven’s sake? My Documents? WHERE IS MINESWEEPER?

The first thing I did, oddly, was remove the antivirus software. Shh, don’t tell my IT guy. I had to download a removal tool from Symantec because it couldn’t be easily uninstalled. I’m guessing that’s Symantec’s fault, not Apple’s.

Speaking of, the concept of uninstalling a program by simply deleting its directory seems foreign to me; and yet, it feels so…appealing! One thing I’ve learned to hate about Windows is the registry. I really appreciate that the Unix-based Mac OS–like Ubuntu and other Linux flavors–simply stores application configuration data in text files. A botched uninstall cannot corrupt your whole system, whereas on a Windows box, a botched uninstall of say–Symantec Antivirus–can make a new PC feel 10 years old and cause a geek hours as he/she manually removes hundreds of registry entries. Ick! In summary: loving the ability to remove programs by simply deleting their directories.

What else do I like? The Dock is nice. I’ve used Stardock’s Windows version, although Apple’s is much more elegant and refined. The overall interface is just very sleek and sexy.

Overall, I’m still much less efficient on a Mac than I am on a PC, but again I blame not the system but myself, as I’m still learning. I can absolutely fly through tasks on my XP box at work, but with Mac OS, right now I’m a little more…methodical. I’m sure that will change over time.

As far as gripes, well, I’m a fiddler. A tweaker. I like to mess with stuff, even if it breaks. I feel like with Windows, it can be tweaked to my heart’s content. The Mac seems less so, but again that could be a lack of info on my part. Another big one for me is the lack of gaming support. That’s not really a knock on the OS, but it is a reason that would keep me from switching over to solely Apple. Also, it’s hard from a Windows perspective to get used to an OS that’s not really designed around left-vs-right clicking. Agh! When I use the Touchpad I always forget I have to hold down CTRL for the right click.

I’m not a fan of Safari, but FireFox is available for Mac so who cares? I’ve already had countless hours of fun with GarageBand. The Adobe CS3 suite functions pretty much like it does on Windows, so not much of a learning curve there. I honestly prefer the Vista Explorer to the Mac OS finder, but that’s personal preference. I’m sure there are Apple fanatics out there who would gleefully gut me for even uttering those words.

So those are my initial thoughts. I don’t plan on heading solely to the Apple camp anytime soon, and I still have a lot of things I like about my Windows boxes. But that little Macbook left a good impression on me, and it’s likely I’ll continue to use–and grow fonder of–it in the weeks to come.

I’ll write more as I get more familiar with the elegant, mysterious, and metrosexual world that is MacOS X.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: Apple, Mac OSX, Microsoft, Windows Vista, Windows XP

OK, so the other day my friend told me about the Windows Vista Snipping Tool, which can capture nice little screen shots via a slick little interface:

I wanted to give it a try, as it seemed like a free replacement for SnagIt. I’m running Vista Ultimate x64, by the way.

Anyway, my friend told me the Snipping Tool lived in ‘All Programs -> Accessories’…but it was nowhere to be found. So I did some Googling, and found out that—in order to install it—you sometimes have to go to ‘Control Panel -> Programs & Features -> Turn Windows Features on or off’ and then check ‘Tablet PC Optional Components’ (apparently the Snipping Tool is a Tablet PC component).

No dice there, as ‘Tablet PC Optional Components’ was already checked.

So I did some poking around, and finally found the Snipping Tool in the ‘\Windows\System32′ folder. It’s called SnippingTool.exe, unsurprisingly.

So if you’re using one of the supported versions of Vista, have verified that ‘Tablet PC Optional Components’ is installed, but still can’t find the Snipping Tool in your Start Menu…well, now you know where to find it: \Windows\System32\SnippingTool.exe. Just create a shortcut on your Start Menu and/or desktop, and you’ll be snip snipping away happily in no time.

Hope someone else finds this helpful.

P.S. My friend referenced this Lifehacker article.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: Windows Vista;screenshots;snipping tool

I’m reposting this because it appears a lot of folks have been looking for it.

Download the WM6RDP.cab file here.

Edit 6/23/08: Some folks have (understandably) expressed concern over where this download comes from. More information on that is available here.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile 6, WM6RDP.cab

Want your Windows Mobile phone to look like this?

Then download and install this to your Windows Mobile Phone. I believe it only works with Windows Mobile 6. To get it onto the phone, you’ll need to use a USB cable and Active Sync (in XP) or Windows Mobile Device Center (in Vista).

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: Windows Mobile, Windows Mobile 6

Need an easy way to back up your files, but don’t feel like monkeying with expensive or complicated software? Using the xcopy command and a simple text file, you can accomplish this rather easily. Here’s what I do.

First, make sure that file extensions are not hidden by going to My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options -> View. Uncheck Hide Extensions for Known File Types and click OK (if it’s already unchecked, don’t worry about it).

Now create a blank text document on your desktop. Rename it to backup.bat. Now right click on the newly created file and click Edit. Do not just double click, because that will actually run the batch file—we want to edit it for now.

The syntax for xcopy is pretty simple:

xcopy “[source location]” “[destination location]” /switch

And then there are a bunch of switches you can use. I’ll give you an entry from my batch file, and then I’ll explain what the switches all do. To copy my files from my hard disk to my USB drive, I use (follow the syntax exactly, including the quotes!):

xcopy “C:\Docs\*.*” “G:\ANDYB\Docs” /d /s /e /c /i /h /r /k /o /y /f

As you can see, wild card characters can be used to filter your backup. I just use *.* to get everything. Now, the switches:

• /d
  Copies only source files that are newer than existing destination files. Basically, existing source files that have not been modified since the last backup will not be copied, saving time (if you’re like me and have 50GB of MP3s, this is an essential switch!)
• /s
  Copies directories and subdirectories. This is a very important switch, as most of us will have stuff in subdirectories we want to back up.
• /e
  Copies empty subdirectories. I use this, although I probably don’t really need to.
• /c
  Ignores errors. This alone is the reason I love xcopy: one corrupted file can bring XP’s regular file copy to a screeching hault. But with xcopy and this switch enabled, corrupt files are skipped and your backup continues (FYI: the regular Vista copy is smart like xcopy, and will do the same thing).
• /i
  If Source is a directory or contains wildcards and Destination does not exist, xcopy assumes destination specifies a directory name and creates a new directory. Then, xcopy copies all specified files into the new directory. By default, xcopy prompts you to specify whether Destination is a file or a directory (directly from MS…I don’t fully get this one, but it works better with it enabled).
• /h
  Copies files with hidden and system file attributes. By default, xcopy does not copy hidden or system files.
• /r
  Copies read-only files.
• /k
  Copies files and retains the read-only attribute on destination files if present on the source files. By default, xcopy removes the read-only attribute.
• /o
  Copies file ownership and discretionary access control list (DACL) information.
• /y
  Suppresses prompts (overwrites existing files automatically). Unless you want to babysit your backup, you’ll want to enable this option for sure.
• /f
  This shows the full source & destination paths of each file being copied.

There are other switches, like /exclude, which—surprise—allows you to exclude one or more files and/or directories. If you’d like the complete list of switches, check out this PDF. If you’d like to see a sample of my entire batch file, here it is (I have made it a text file so you don’t get nervous downloading a batch file).

Finally, to run your batch file, simply double click it. Again, remember if you want to edit it, you right-click and choose Edit.

<Nerd Alert>
If you want to be really nerdy, you can have xcopy output everything to a log. I guess if you want an inventory of everything that has been backed up, this might be useful to you. Just add > [drive]:\log_file_name.txt to the end of each xcopy entry. For example:

xcopy “C:\Docs\*.*” “G:\ANDYB\Docs” /d /s /e /c > c:\backuplog.log

To append an existing log, use >> [drive]:\log_file_name.txt, like this:

xcopy “C:\Docs\*.*” “G:\ANDYB\Docs” /d /s /e /c >> c:\backuplog.log

</Nerd Alert>

Now if you want to get really lazy, you can set your batch file to run as a scheduled task. Most people know how to use the task scheduler in Windows, so I won’t go into that for now…unless someone demands it!

P.S. If you want, you can download xcopy here, but Win 2K and XP users should have it by default. I’m not sure if it runs under Vista or not. Try at your own risk!

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: backup, batch file, windows, Windows XP, xcopy

Do you ever read the U.S. Constitution? After reading it, do you ever ask yourself, “What document is our government following?” Surely not this one.

For example,

Amendment 10—Powers of the States and People. Ratified 12/15/1791:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Or this one:

Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Read the Constitution from time to time, and you’ll realize how far we’ve strayed from it. That’s why I’m voting for this guy.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: government, politics

I don’t think men like hugging other skinny men very much.

A bold claim, I know, so let me explain. I’m talking to the guys here.

As a male, if and when I hug another guy, I personally don’t enjoy hugging skinny guys. In fact, the last thing I want to feel in the midst of a friendly embrace is some dude’s rib cage. Or, if you can wrap your arms around a man, and then touch your own back…now come on, this is just plain wrong. No one likes this: it’s like hugging a telephone pole (minus the splinters, of course).

I’d much rather put my arms around some big, rotund, warm bear of a guy than a spindly, bony whisp of a man. Wouldn’t you? Come on, be honest: if you really think about it (guys), when you hug other guys, you discriminate on the basis of weight. You go for the substantial ones. It’s OK, you can admit it…I know I do. Yessir, I like ‘em large.

I think this is why no one likes hugging me. People always prefer to hug my overweight friends over me; but since I perpetuate this issue via my own hugging choices, I can’t really get too upset. Plus I’m Swedish, and we prefer not to hug anyway. Nope, only the plumpest of Swedes engage in such girly displays of affection.

But, there are certain social situations where a hug is unavoidable, like when a lot of Peruvian men are around. If you really must hug a skinny man but are revolted by the very idea of it, try having him stuff pillows or blankets in his shirt. This creates an illusion of girth that may help you get through the hug. Or, if no bedding is available, try getting two skinny guys to stand right next to each other, and then hug them both at the same time. While two skinny guys does not equal one portly guy, it helps.

If the aforementioned methods are just too big of steps to start with, try hugging an obese man while maintaining eye contact with a skinny man. You will find that—if you do this enough—you may eventually be able to associate the warm fuzziness of the fat man with the skinny man.

So you see, there are options available to you when hugging a skinny man is inevitable. You don’t need to make the poor guy feel bad by declining to hug him on the basis of his scrawniness. But, if you simply cannot bring yourself to hug your skeletal friends, try to make up an excuse, like you have to pee, or there’s a good buffet you have to get to. At least try not to make him think you won’t hug him because he doesn’t even weigh triple digits.

But most importantly, don’t beat yourself up because you’d rather hug a fat guy…millions of men every day suffer from this same complex—you’re not alone!

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: humor

All right, despite the inherent unpopularity of saying this, someone has to: everywhere I turn on the ‘Net, it seems there’s some Apple/Linux fanboy bashing Vista. I know the cool thing to do these days is to hate MS and love Apple and/or Linux, but come on: it seems more like a case of being socially acceptable (hating MS) than Vista actually being that bad.

Before I get into this, two disclaimers: 1. I am not an MS Fanboy by any means…I use their products, yes: Windows XP, Windows Vista, an XBOX 360, and a Windows Mobile Phone. I generally like their stuff…it has served me well over the years; 2. I love Linux and open source software in general. I have an Ubuntu box and a ClarkConnect (CentOS-based firewall) box. I don’t use Apple stuff much, but I am aware they make some very nice products…and I’m not shy about admitting they often create hipper, cooler products than MS. And yes, FireFox is better than IE.

Anyway, I have been using Vista Ultimate x64 for four+ months now, and I can sincerely report I haven’t had any issues with it. Honestly. Hasn’t BSOD’d, hasn’t crashed, hasn’t erased my hard drive and sent all my sensitive data to Redmond. I have used all of the following applications with no issues:

• Raxco PerfectDisk 8

• AVG Free 7.5
• MS Office 2003 and 2007
• Picasa2, Google Earth
• Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign
• MS Visual Studio 2005
• QuarkXPress 7
• FireFox & Thunderbird
• The GIMP
• WinMerge
• CleanMyPC Registry Cleaner
• uTorrent
• iTunes
• TurboTax ‘07
• Daemon Tools
• WinRar
• Goldwave
• e-Sword (Bible software)
• …and many others.

Of course the ‘Net is rife with forums about how Vista won’t run Netscape Navigator 4.04 or 7th Guest or something absurd like that, but come on people! Let’s get with the times (these are the same people who are mad they can’t watch reruns of Full House).

And, let’s not forget about my games that have run without a hitch:

• Oblivion

• FEAR
• HL2, Garry’s Mod
• Geometry Wars
• Worms World Party
• Crysis
• UT3, UT2k4, UT2k3, original UT
• Deus Ex and Deus Ex: IW
• …and many others

So as you can see, I have had zero application issues thus far, with one exception: FireFox was crashing, but it turned out to be an AVG 8.0 plugin causing that. I disabled the plugin and all was well (hardly Vista’s fault).

But what about driver issues? No problems here, and I honestly expected a few issues using the x64 version of Vista. But after installing Vista, every single device on my computer was recognized and the appropriate drivers were installed (I have pretty modern hardware, though).

But what about slow performance? Well, my Vista box is running pretty nice hardware (Core 2 Duo Q6600, 4GB Ram, 8800 GTX, Sata II, SB X-Fi, etc.), so it’s hard to say. I have used XP x64 on this same box, and honestly, Vista feels faster. I can’t quantify this for you…just a feeling I get using both OS’s. I have also used Vista on my older P4 system, and it didn’t seem slow to me. I haven’t run Vista on really old hardware though. On a P3 and/or low memory box, I imagine XP would be faster.

Oh, and speaking of memory, people complain about Vista’s RAM requirements, but honestly, I put 4GB of nice Corsair XMS memory in my gaming box for less than $200. Cheaper RAM is even less…you can get 2GB these days for $40 online. So who really cares if Vista runs smoothest with 1GB or more? I wouldn’t recommend using it with 512, but I’ve used Ubuntu on a 512MB box, and that was a little pokey too.

But Vista doesn’t have any useful or new features! I don’t agree. The new Network & Sharing Center is slick, and the ability to generate a map of my network is cool (if not a little gimmicky). Wireless works well. The new Media Center UI is very well-designed, and seems light years ahead of anything Apple or open source. The search seems to work as well as Apple’s Spotlight, although I admit it’s not super-intuitive to configure it to index additional locations.

The overall UI seems to be nearly as pleasing as Mac OS. SuperFetch does its job well, and ReadyBoost can speed up older systems. Yes, User Account Control is irritating. I disabled it; not a real biggie. Previous Versions is nice, although it has been done before. IPv6 support will be useful soon. The ability to adjust the volume for individual apps is handy. DX10 may be a little overhyped at this point, but I think it has potential down the road.

And one other thing. The new fonts they put in Vista are very pretty—at least equal to MacOS, and a night and day difference from Ubuntu (which has ugly fonts, imho).

So to sum this up, is there a real and compelling reason to get Vista if you have XP and are happy with it? Maybe not. But then again, is each new version of Ubuntu or Mac OS absolutely critical? No. The bottom line is, Vista has new features, seems rock-solid stable, does everything I need it to do, and doesn’t suck as bad as people say. Is it perfect? Hardly. But I don’t hate it. Nay…dare I say…I like it?

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: windows, Windows Vista

It doesn’t. Or if it does, it’s purely a coincidence. If anything, I’d say my site looks like Windows Vista.

Edit 5/3/08: I was being facetious when I claimed my site looked like Vista.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: humor, Mac OS, Windows Vista

More Windows Mobile 6 goodies! I’ve been annoyed that videos on the YouTube site for Windows Mobile (m.youtube.com) haven’t been working with my T-Mobile Wing. That’s because Windows Media Player for WM6 can’t seem to play streaming media (at least, it can’t play YouTube’s mobile format).

The answer is to download and install HTC’s streaming media player.

More info on HTC

Unzip the file, and then simply copy the newly extracted .CAB file to your phone and install it. The installer will want you to reboot your phone…allow it to do so. Now, if you click on a video on YouTube, the HTC streaming media player will automatically play the video.

Note: In order to get mine to work properly, I had to go into Start -> Programs -> Streaming Media, tap Menu -> Options, and change ‘Connect Via’ to ‘T-Mobile Data.’ When it was set to ‘The Internet,’ it wouldn’t work—I kept getting ‘Unable to find network’ errors. Obviously this will vary depending on your provider and your setup. If it works with the default settings, great! If not, try my aforementioned steps.

Oh, and finally, if you don’t have a data plan, this is probably a bad idea; use a Wi-Fi hotspot instead.

written by Andrew Block \\ tags: T-Mobile Wing, Windows Mobile 6, YouTube